Who an electrical inspection is for
We do electrical safety inspections for a few main groups of people, and each one wants something slightly different from the report.
- Buyers who want to know about the electrical condition of a home before they commit
- Sellers who want to find and fix issues before the house goes on the market
- Landlords and property managers who want a record that a rental is safe and compliant
- Owners of older homes who haven’t had the wiring looked at in years and want to know where they stand
- Anyone about to renovate who wants to know what they’re working with before the builder starts
What we check
An inspection covers the parts of the electrical installation we can safely see and test. The main items are:
- The switchboard and meter box, including condition, protection devices and signs of heat or corrosion
- Safety switches (RCDs), including a trip test to confirm they work
- Smoke alarms, including type, location, age and whether they meet current Queensland or NSW rules
- Power points, switches and light fittings for damage, overheating or looseness
- Visible wiring in the roof space and under the house, where access is safe
- Earthing and the main earth connection
- Outdoor fittings, pool equipment wiring and any sheds or outbuildings
- Signs of unlicensed or DIY electrical work
We also look for things that commonly turn up in older homes, like old rubber or cloth-insulated cable, ceramic fuses, circuits with no RCD protection and fittings that have been overloaded for years.
Pre-purchase inspections
A building and pest inspection doesn’t go into detail on the electrical system. A separate electrical inspection tells you whether the switchboard needs upgrading, whether the smoke alarms meet the rules and whether there’s anything unsafe you’d need to fix after settlement. That information can help when you’re weighing up an offer or planning your budget.
Timing is usually tight during a contract period. Get in touch as soon as you know you need one, and we’ll work with the agent to arrange access.
Pre-sale inspections
If you’re selling, finding problems before a buyer’s inspector does puts you in control. You can fix issues on your own terms or disclose them upfront. In Queensland, homes that are sold must have smoke alarms that meet the current rules, so checking and upgrading smoke alarms is often part of pre-sale work. Our blog post on the Queensland smoke alarm laws explains the requirements in more detail.
Rental property inspections
Landlords have obligations around electrical safety, smoke alarms and safety switches. A regular inspection gives you a record that the property has been checked, and helps catch small issues before they turn into tenant complaints or bigger repairs. We cover this in more detail on our rental property electrical page.
Older homes
Plenty of homes on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane date from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Many of them still have original wiring and switchboards. Cable insulation breaks down over time, especially in hot roof spaces, and old boards often have no safety switches at all. An inspection tells you whether the wiring is still in reasonable shape or whether it’s time to plan a rewire or switchboard upgrade.
Your written report
After the inspection, you get a written report that lists what we checked and what we found. We sort findings into items that are unsafe and need fixing now, items that don’t meet current standards and should be addressed, and items that are fine but worth keeping an eye on. Where it helps, we include photos.
Clear findings matter most when you’re making decisions under time pressure, like during a contract period. We keep the language plain, explain why each item matters and avoid padding the report with minor points that don’t affect safety.
The report is written for home owners, buyers and property managers, not other electricians. If there’s work to be done, we can give you a separate written quote, but there’s no obligation to use us for the repairs.
What an inspection is not
An inspection is a visual check and test of the parts of the installation we can safely access. We don’t pull down walls or ceilings, so hidden wiring can’t be fully assessed. It’s also not a building or pest inspection. If something needs a closer look, such as a fault we can’t trace without further work, we’ll say so in the report.
For general information on home electrical safety, the Electrical Safety Office at electricalsafety.qld.gov.au is a good resource for Queensland homes.